Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God by the wise disposition of His divine providence, to maintain and preserve the LIBERTY AND PURITY of the dominion mandate of OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST which we now profess, we shall also be guided and governed in our affairs according to the bylaws that shall be ordered as follows: 

The name of this organization shall be the Libertas Society of Patrick Henry College (hereinafter known as the Libertas Society).  Membership shall be extended to all students and administration or faculty members of Patrick Henry College. 

The Libertas Society is a grassroots, student-led think-tank, working to effect change in a variety of cultural, social, media, and political areas of interest to conservatives and Christians.  The foregoing goals shall be accomplished through interactive work between all members, with a Cabinet to guide those efforts.  The body of members shall, accordingly, present and approve of the society’s projects by a vote of 2/3 of all members present; and the Cabinet shall guide and oversee the projects’ implementation through the body of members.  If the Cabinet deems a project impossible to effectively implement, then it may (by majority vote) veto the project within fourteen days of its approval by the members. 

The body of members shall meet at regular times and places adopted by the Cabinet, but the President or the body of members shall have power to direct special meetings.  The Cabinet shall regularly have one meeting between any two meetings of the whole body of members, except where the President shall direct otherwise.

The central powers of this organization shall be vested in a Cabinet.  The Cabinet shall consist of the following offices (along with any trustees that the Cabinet may admit): 

• President:  Shall be the presiding officer over the Cabinet and the whole body of members, and shall oversee the execution of all the Cabinet’s tasks, directing each Cabinet member and overseeing all the society’s decisions, plans, and programs.  He shall also maintain the Society’s relationship with its faculty sponsor, its sponsoring organization (the Leadership Institute), and (when established) its Board of Advisors.

• The Vice President: Shall act as an assistant to the President of the Libertas Society.  He shall assume the President’s responsibility when he is unavailable, and shall bear the primary responsibility in organizing rallies and special events.

• Secretary: Shall be responsible for all club records, including minutes from Cabinet and general meetings, requests for membership, and a roster of membership.

• Treasurer: Shall be responsible, not only for the ethical keeping and spending of club funds, but also for their accumulation, whether by donation, fundraisers, or any other proper means.

• Public Relations Director: Shall be vested with responsibility to contact any source necessary for the Libertas Society’s relationship with local churches, the homeschool community, the conservative and Christian communities, and relations with the Town of Purcellville or any other aspect of society, to ensure maximum involvement in the club’s activities.  He shall also serve as a liaison between the Libertas Society and other clubs on campus.

• Media Director: Shall be responsible for the management and coordination of all press releases, editorials, and the publication and creation of any other media extensions, including a website.  

Each Cabinet member shall be elected or reelected annually by all persons present at the election, who have been members of the Libertas Society for at least one full semester (and by members who, having arrived on campus in the preceding fall semester, have enrolled before 15 September); and who have participated in at least three projects (or the full sum of all projects following 15 September).  But until such members shall exist and a new election shall intervene, the President shall be Eric Lansing; the Vice President shall be Derek Archer; the Director of Public Relations shall be Lucas Pillman; the Secretary shall be Justin Jenkins; the Treasurer shall be Rachel Blum; and any other Cabinet positions shall be filled as the Cabinet may direct.  Elections for the Cabinet shall be held on the second meeting of every spring semester.  But when vacancies happen, the President may appoint any regular meeting of the whole body of members as the time and place for an election to replace that vacancy.

The Cabinet at large shall have the authority and responsibility to act as a board of advisers and assistants to the President; and to create and package all projects and programs for the purpose of advancing its goals and ideals.  It shall have authority to overturn any decision whatsoever made by the President in his capacity.

The President shall have the particular authority and responsibility

• To organize all lobbyist projects that the members create;

• To oversee the progress of each Cabinet member, and ensure that all Cabinet members are communicating and working together properly.

The rights and responsibilities of all other offices in the Cabinet shall be regulated and expounded by the President of the Libertas Society.  The President may delegate part of a Cabinet member’s responsibility to another person

On the meeting in which he receives office, the President shall deliver a report to all members, which shall summarize his goals and agenda for the term ahead of him.  This report shall be compiled with the foreknowledge and advice of the Cabinet.

Before receiving an office in the Cabinet, a member must affirm the following: 

“I (insert name) do affirm that I will faithfully executive the powers of the (insert name of office) and truthfully uphold the constitution of the Libertas Society.  I shall further hold my position of trust with great priority, consulting the other members of the Cabinet frequently, relying on them for advice and counsel, and regarding the authorities vested in me as responsibilities rather than rights.  So help me God.”

 

Orders and Operations:

 

The Libertas Society shall create a web log.  Each Cabinet member of the Libertas Society shall have the ability to post updates on this web log whenever he wishes, informing the members about news in the Libertas Society or in the nation, or updating the members about the progress in his own department.

The Cabinet shall have power to create a Board of Advisors, and to induct members to it (or to create a process for inducting them).

Amendments and additions to these Fundamental Orders may be adopted by the consent of two thirds of all members total (whether present or not present for the meeting in which the vote is held).  If that number may not be obtained, members may certify their votes in writing, and direct them to the Secretary.

The 2^nd Day of March, in the Year of Our Lord Jesus Christ 2007, and in the Year of the Independence of the United States of America, 231 the TWELVE foregoing orders are voted and ratified.